It is known to use orbital weld heads to weld tubes and tube fitting elements. A fixture is used to clamp the workpieces that are to be welded. Welding at high rates produces a substantial amount of heat in the weld head and fixture, potentially causing the user difficulty in clamping the workpieces before welding and in unclamping workpieces that have been welded. Some fixtures can require the user to manipulate directly the movable clamps when securing the workpiece(s). This exposes the user to potentially hot surfaces, and thus can require the use of gloves or extra tools, or a cooling down period. This is not conducive to high welding rates.
Additionally, some fixture designs do not promote quick loading and unloading of workpieces, which is necessary for higher production welding. Some designs also do not provide an easy and accurate way of supporting the workpiece with one hand and clamping it with the opposite hand, without coming close to hot fixture surfaces.